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President Joe Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 handling of the war in Gaza a mistake and urged his government to flood the beleaguered territory with aid, ramping up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and widening a rift between the two staunch allies.

Mr. Biden has been an outspoken supporter of Israel鈥檚 war against Hamas since the militant group launched a deadly assault on Oct. 7. But in recent weeks his patience with Mr. Netanyahu has appeared to be waning and his administration has taken a more stern line with Israel, deepening its international isolation over the war.

The most serious disagreement has been over Israel鈥檚 plans for an offensive in the southernmost Gaza city of Rafah, which it says is Hamas鈥� last major stronghold. The rift has spiraled since, worsened by an Israeli airstrike last week on an aid convoy that killed seven workers with the international food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK). Israel said the airstrike was conducted in error and sacked or reprimanded several officers, but Mr. Biden was outraged.

Mr. Biden鈥檚 comments, made in an interview recorded two days after the WCK strike but aired April 9, highlight the differences between Israel and the U.S. over humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, where a monthslong war has led to warnings of imminent famine.

The president, asked聽if Mr. Netanyahu is prioritizing his political survival over Israel鈥檚 national interest, told Spanish-language broadcaster Univision that 鈥渨hat he鈥檚 doing is a mistake. I don鈥檛 agree with his approach.鈥�

Mr. Biden said Israel should agree to a cease-fire, flood beleaguered Gaza with aid for the next six to eight weeks, and allow other countries in the region to help distribute the aid. 鈥淚t should be done now,鈥� he said.

Hunger in Gaza is overshadowing the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a typically joyous festival during which families celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza in the early days of the war, but under U.S. pressure has slowly increased the number of trucks allowed to enter the territory. Still, aid groups have complained that supplies are not reaching desperate people quickly enough, blaming Israeli restrictions, and countries have attempted other ways to deliver them, including air drops and by sea.

Israel says its has steadily ramped up aid throughout the war, opening up more entry points for trucks to enter and to reach especially hard-hit areas like northern Gaza, an early target of Israel鈥檚 in the war.

Israel blames aid groups for being too slow to deliver aid once it鈥檚 inside Gaza. Those groups say logistical issues and the precarious security situation 鈥� underscored by the WCK strike 鈥� complicate aid deliveries.

Israel and Hamas are currently engaged in talks meant to bring about a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages captured on Oct. 7. But the sides remain far apart on key issues, including the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 security cabinet met April 9 to discuss the hostage negotiations, but did not appear to make any decisions.

Mr. Netanyahu has vowed to achieve 鈥渢otal victory鈥� in the war, pledging to destroy Hamas鈥� military and governing capabilities to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attacks and to return the hostages. He says that victory must include an offensive targeting Hamas in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza鈥檚 2.3 million people are currently seeking shelter.

Six months into the war, Israel is growing ever more isolated, with even its closest partner increasingly vocal about its discontent in the war鈥檚 direction and longtime trading partners like Turkey taking potentially painful economic steps to express dismay.

Mr. Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, is under pressure to offer a postwar vision for Gaza. Critics say he is delaying taking that step to avoid angering his ultranationalist governing partners, some of whom support resettling the Gaza Strip, an idea Mr. Netanyahu has ruled out. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.

Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 governing partners also oppose making significant concessions to Hamas in the ongoing negotiations. They have threatened to exit the government, which would cause the ruling coalition to collapse, triggering new elections.

鈥淚f the prime minister thinks that there鈥檚 going to be a reckless deal here, it isn鈥檛 going to pass,鈥� Limor Sonn Har Melech, a lawmaker in the hard-line Jewish Power party, said in an interview with an Israeli radio station. 鈥淚f we realize that the meaning of stopping this war is capitulation to Hamas, we won鈥檛 be there.鈥�

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas鈥� cross-border assault, in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took roughly 250 people hostage, according to Israeli authorities.

More than 33,200 Palestinians have been killed in the relentless fighting, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry, which doesn鈥檛 differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel says it has killed some 12,000 militants.

The war has ignited a humanitarian catastrophe. Most of the territory鈥檚 population has been displaced, and with vast swaths of Gaza鈥檚 urban landscape leveled in the fighting, many areas are uninhabitable.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Ms. Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.